Council Accepts Finance Report, Approves Art for La Buena Vida Park

Las Cruces City Council met in a regular session on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, and accepted the City’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report for the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2024.

The annual report, completed by the Finance Services Department in accordance with City Charter and the Government Accounting Standards Board, had no findings which is outstanding.

The report was audited by licensed certified public accountants Patillo, Brown and Hill. The accounting firm described the audit as an unmodified opinion, meaning there were no exceptions and no negative findings.

Chris Garner, representing the accounting firm, said no difficulties were encountered in performing the audit, and there were no significant audit adjustments or unadjusted differences. In short, Garner said, the City’s finance records are well maintained.

Garner praised the City for receiving a Government Finance Officers Association award and for being one of 19 New Mexico governmental entities to be recognized by GFOA. There are more than 700 governmental entities in New Mexico.

The City of Las Cruces is also one of only three governmental entities in New Mexico to receive GFOA’s Tripple Crown: the COA Award, the PAFR Award and the Budget Award.

The City Annual Comprehensive Finance Report can be viewed online.

In other business, Councilors approved the La Buena Vida Park public art project.

Public Art Coordinator, Ceci Vasconcellos, presented the artwork selected for the park that sits at 3000 Buena Vida Circle.

Local artists were invited to present their artwork that was site-specific to the park. Six proposals were presented. The art design presented by Kayla Blundell, titled Desert Kinship, was selected for the project. The low maintenance art piece depicts a flock of stylized quail and cactus made from steel sheets with natural patina and some color.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s Council meeting, the City and Las Cruces Public Schools announced its Thrive with Cariño partnership to highlight students who display exceptional character in and outside of the classroom.

Tuesday’s meeting, along with all City Council regular meetings and work sessions, can be viewed on the City’s YouTube Channel.

Councilors will next meet as the Tax Increment Development District Board at 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. That board meeting will be followed by a City Council Work Session. Both meetings will be held at Council Chambers, 700 N. Main St.